Page 177 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Unit 23: Joint Family: Types and Functions

and therefore they are more experienced compare to young members of the family. They Notes
guide the future generation on the basis of their experience. In difficult times, when a young
member lose patient and goes into depression, these experienced members act like a guide
for them.
4. Entertainment: A joint family is cheap and the best place for entertainment as it has so
many members in it. There is always an atmosphere of entertainment and remains jolli-
ty in the family. Karvy says “Some or other things continue to happen in a joint family.
Sometimes it is a marriage of a boy or a girl, sometimes there is a celebration of naming
ceremony. Some other time the new bride is made to cook as a ritual or, there is a fast or
shradth in the family. Sometimes birthday of someone is celebrated in the family. Guests
are also frequent in this type of family. One day the brother-in-law has come to get his sister
to his house, other day someone goes to bring the girl to her paternal house. Joues between
Dever-Bhabhi, taunt of Nannad-Bhabhi. Sound of joy of children, competitiveness between
devrani and jethani, it all present an atmosphere of entertainment.
5. Contribution in the Upbringing of a Child: Joint family is a right place for upbringing of a
child. In a joint family aged male and female members cooperate in the look after of a child
and contribute in their education and social action. The child learns the virtue of grace,
sacrifice, sympathy, love, cooperation etc. in a family. Nowadays where both husband and
wife worries, the child is left with a servant to look after which is more terrible because most
of the time good qualities cannot be developed in child in such a situation.
6. Proper use of Money: A common fund is maintained in joint family. Money is spent out of
it according to the requirement of the member whether they are earning or not. Unneces-
sary expenses are avoided because of strict control of the karta. No member of the family
has a special right on income and wealth therefore they all share the profit equally. They
provide income to the family as per their capabilities.
7. To Uphold the Division of Property: Because all the members stay together in a joint fam-
ily therefore the question of division does not arise. So the joint wealth of the family can be
used in a business and extended further. A joint family is more useful for agriculture as it
has protected the land from being divided into small parts and increased the productivity.
Unnecessary expenses has also been avoided because of common wealth. So we observe
that property and wealth is protected in a joint family.
8. Division of Work: According to Irawati Karvy, “A big joint family decides the work and
economic activities of a member and protect him. Division of work in a joint family is done
on the basis of—first, on the basis of sex and second—on the basis of age. Male members
of the family are responsible for external work and female members perform the internal
work in a family. Each member of the family does one or another work as per his/her capa-
bilities.
9. Insurance of Misfortune: Life is incomplete without its two aspects-joy and sorrow. These
two aspects are faced in life by each and every person. The sorrow can appear in any form,
like-accident, sickness, mental or physical problems, loosing the job or being widow etc. A
joint family provides support in all cases. It is a refuge for orphans, widows and aged who
provides them economic security and lets them live without any worry. So a joint family is
a insurance of misfortune for its members therefore Anant Shayan Ayangar says that, “A
joint family is that unprecedented fort in which work is done by adults who are able to do
work at the same time children and aged are protected.
10. Preserving the Culture: A joint family has been an important chain for continuity and sta-
bility of Indian culture. An inspirational power exists only in a joint family which inspires
a person to follow the old traditions, customs, conventions and social assumption. A joint
family has been against the changes and modernisation from the very beginning so they
maintained the stability of culture by transferring it to the future generations as it is.

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